Los Angeles Lakers add shot creating with Dion Waiters
The Los Angeles Lakers will sign Dion Waiters to fill their open roster spot and he will bring some much-needed shot creation to the table.
The Los Angeles Lakers have dipped back into the free-agent market, signing yet another Memphis Grizzlies buyout candidate.
At this year’s trade deadline, the 8th seeded Grizzlies got younger by moving on from Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder, and Solomon Hill and flipping them for Justise Winslow, Gorgui Dieng, and Dion Waiters.
However, the 28-year-old ball-stopping Waiters was not part of the team’s future as they opted to give Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks, and the rest of the young guard core as many minutes as possible in their pursuit of the playoffs.
After being waived by the Memphis Grizzlies on February 9th, there was speculation that Dion Waiters could end the 2020 season in a Lakers uniform.
Unsurprisingly, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that The Los Angeles Lakers have officially signed the fellow Rich Paul disciple for the remainder of the 2020 season:
Sources: Waiters, his agent Rich Paul and the Lakers had several conversations, they have been positive, and it's been made clear among all: This must work out for him -- otherwise, Lakers reserve the option to release him. https://t.co/rGL3xlxFvo
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 5, 2020
Waiters averaged a healthy 12 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 26 minutes a game for the Miami Heat last season. However, to make room for the young guard duo of Kendrick Nunn and Tyler Herro, the Heat waived Waiters after just three games this season.
With two teams passing on Waiters in lieu of a younger backcourt, what value could he possibly have?
Although the Lakers sit atop the Western Conference standings as we near the end of the regular season, scoring without Anthony Davis or LeBron James on the floor has been a struggle all year long.
With Waiters in the fold, the Lakers hope to add an isolation player who can create his own shot and bolster their bench scoring. As the end of the regular season draws near, Waiters could be just what the team needs to allow LeBron and AD to rest for the playoffs.
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With the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rocket, and Denver Nuggets coming up over the course of the next week, we will surely find out if the veteran Waiters still has enough left in the tank.